The NPL T20 Blast finale originally set to get underway on Thursday has been rescheduled and will now take place next week.
Zimbabwe Cricket announced the postponement in order to allow for some maintenance work at Harare Sports Club, venue for the eagerly awaited showpiece, to be completed.
Fans can expect a carnival atmosphere when the club tournament concludes next week, with loads of entertainment, including some of the biggest musicians in the country, lined up for the matchdays.
The switch will now see NPL T20 Blast round-robin table-toppers Takashinga Patriots 2 and runners-up Gladiators meeting next Thursday in the first qualifier scheduled for a 2pm start to decide the first spot in the final.
Takashinga Patriots 1 and Uprising, who finished third and fourth respectively on the standings, will then face off under the lights in an eliminator match pencilled in to get underway at 6pm.
The following day, Friday, the first qualifier runners-up will play the winners of the eliminator match in a 6pm battle for the other place in the final.
The final will take place next Saturday, pitting the winners of the two qualifier matches against each other.
Nail biting affairs have so far been witnessed.
Good bowling from Tapiwa Mufudza and Richard Ngarava, followed by fifties from Roy Kaia and Joylord Gumbie, led to another NPL T20 Blast victory for Takashinga Patriots 1 at their Highfield home ground on Sunday, this time by six wickets over Westside.
Put in to bat, Westside made a good start with 47 for the first wicket by Tinashe Chiorah (34) and Definate Mawadzi (19), but four were out for 59 as Mufudza and Priviledge Chesa broke through with two wickets each.
Prosper Mugeri led a fightback with a vigorous 39 off 23 balls, including four sixes, to make the final total 153 for nine, Ngarava taking two later wickets.
Ngarava had two for 23, Chesa two for 34, with Mufudza as so often the best with three for 25.
Takashinga soon made light of their target, with Gumbie and Kaia opening with 113 together.
Kaia, the more aggressive, hit 53 off 31 balls, while Gumbie took 45 balls to score 58.
Vincent Masekesa dismissed them both, but there was no stopping Takashinga, who won with five balls to spare.
Brothers Nick Welch (Uprising) and Mathew Welch (Mutare) both scored fifties at Old Hararians Sports Club on Sunday, Nick with the greater success as his team won the match by six wickets.
Both opened their team’s innings, with Mathew getting first chance as Mutare were put in to bat – he made 58 off 39 balls with two sixes and eight fours.
He had useful rather than dominating partners, until Donald Tiripano came in near the end and hit 28 not out to take the Mutare score to 173 for five wickets, Dylan Hondo taking two wickets.
Nick then batted unbeaten throughout the Uprising reply to score 75 not out off 50 balls, with 10 fours.
Tafadzwa Mahachi (24) aided in an opening partnership of 73, while Ryan Burl smashed 39 off 14 balls, with four sixes and two fours.
Uprising reached their target comfortably with almost two overs to spare.
A brilliant innings of 92 by Antum Naqvi led the way to a convincing 58-run victory by Takashinga Patriots 2 over Amakhosi at Kwekwe Sports Club on Sunday.
Takashinga were put in to bat, and Naqvi went in number three at 25 for one wicket.
He dominated a third-wicket partnership of 96 with Rodney Mupfudza (29) and was on course for a century with 92 to his credit after 18 overs.
However, he was then lbw to Ernest Masuku after hitting seven sixes and six fours from 48 balls, and the Takashinga innings closed at 173 for six.
Amakhosi had no chance of success after losing their first four wickets for 18 runs, two of them to Wallace Mubayiwa.
Tawanda Mhora (27) and Tanatswa Bechani (46 off 35 balls) did their best, but Trevor Gwandu made decisive inroads into their batting with four wickets for 13 runs in his four overs, and Amakhosi could muster a final score of only 115 for nine wickets.
Five wickets from Owen Muzondo destroyed Rainbow’s innings after they chose to bat first, as Gladiators cruised to a six-wicket victory at Old Hararians Sports Club on Sunday.
NPL T20 BLAST FIXTURES
12 Oct: Qualifier 1 (Takashinga 2 v Gladiators (2pm); Eliminator (Takashinga 1 v Uprising (6pm)
13 Oct: Qualifier 2 (Qualifier 1 Runners-Up v Eliminator Winners (6pm) – Zimbabwe Cricket
